Key findings from ‘Learning and training at work 2001’

The
Department for Education and Skills has released results from its Learning
and Training at Work 2001 survey covering on-the-job and off-the-job
training in England.

The
statistics include information about employers’ commitment to training,
including the management and delivery of training, the levels of provision of
training, and also awareness of, and involvement with, various training
initiatives.

The
figures relate to employers in England with five or more employees.

Almost
nine out of ten employers (88 per cent) had provided job-related training (either
off- or on-the-job training) to their employees in previous 12 months

This
marks a decline from the 92 per cent found in 2000 and similar to the 89
per cent found in 1999.

Over
half of employers (55 per cent) had provided off-the-job training to their
employees in the previous 12 months (2000: 59 per cent, 1999: 52 per cent)

The
provision of off-the-job training increases with increasing size of employer.49 per cent of employers with 5-24 employees
provided off-the-job training compared with 93 per cent of employers with 500
or more employees.

Overall,
the proportion of employees receiving off-the-job training over the
previous 12 months has increased–
28 per cent in 2001, compared with 27 per cent in 2000 and 23 per cent in 1999.

The
amount of off-the-job training provided per employee has increased to 2.3
days from 1.7 days in 2000 and 1.6 days in 1999.

The
amount of off-the-job training provided per trainee has increased to 8.2
days from 6.1 days in 2000 and 7.1 days in 1999.

Of
employers who provided off-the-job training, 55 per cent reported that some
of the training was leading to a formal qualification – compared with 56
per cent in 2000 and 52 per cent in 1999.

The
most common types of training were job-specific training (70 per cent) and health
and safety training (78 per cent).

Overthree out of four employers (78 per cent) had provided on-the-job
training for their employees in the 12 months prior to the interview.This represents a decline from the 83 per
cent found in 2000 and is very similar to the 79 per cent found in 1999.

The
provision of on-the-job training increases with increasing size of employer,
though the variation is not as great as it is with off-the-job training.The survey indicates that 75 per cent of
employers with 5-24 employees provided on-the-job training compared with 94 per
cent of employers with 500 or more employees.

Of
those employers that did not provide any job-related training, the main
reason given for not providing training was that the existing skills of
employees meet the needs of the establishment (62 per cent).The only other reason mentioned by more than
10 per cent of respondents was that new recruits are sufficient to obtain the
skills required (16 per cent).

Thirty
per cent of employers said that they had helped employees learn things not
directly connected to their job.This is similar to the 32 per cent found in 2000 and the 29 per cent
found in 1999.

Overa quarter of employers (28 per cent) were formally recognised as an
Investor in People and half of employers (49 per cent) had a formal
training plan.

As
in earlier years, NVQs are the initiative with the highest level of
awareness, with 94 per cent of employers having heard of them. This
compares to 96 per cent in 2000 and 93 per cent in 1999.

As
many as 56 per cent of employers were aware of New Deal, 51 per cent
of Advanced Modern Apprenticeships and 44 per cent of Learning Partnerships.

A
third of employers (34 per cent) were offering NVQs to one or more of
their employees.This is a slight
increase on the 31 per cent found in 2000 and the 30 per cent found in 1999.

Half
of employers (51 per cent) had built links with external organisations
in order to offer their employees training and development opportunities.

DEFINITIONS

Off-the-job
training includes all training away from the immediate work position.It can be given at the employers’ premises
or elsewhere.It includes all sorts of
courses – full or part time; correspondence or distance learning, Health and
Safety and so on – as long as it is funded or arranged by the employer.

On-the-job
training includes training given at the desk or place where the person usually
works. Typically, this kind of training is planned in advance, with no, or very
little, useful output whilst the training is being under-taken.This does not include off-the-job
training, which is under-taken away from the usual work position.